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Pilgrimage to Fatima a time of prayer, encounter, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves LEIRIA, Portugal (CNS) — Pope Francis said his two-day pilgrimage to Fatima would be a time of prayer and encounter with Jesus and Mary. The visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima “is a bit special,” he told reporters aboard …
Anti-death penalty activist says she wrestled with issue and ‘God won’
By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — Marietta Jaeger-Lane has faced the death penalty issue head-on. In 1973, when her 7-year-old daughter was kidnapped during a family camping trip in Montana and murdered by her captor, the mother of five said she would have killed the person who did it with …
Convocation delegate said becoming Catholic was something he ‘had to do’
IMAGE: CNS photo/Chaz Muth By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — When Isaiah Burroughs, a 20-year-old student at The Catholic University of America in Washington, gets an idea in his head, he follows through with it pretty much immediately. When he was praying in the university chapel during a freshman retreat …
Go out now, share the Gospel, get messy, pope tells Quebec bishops
IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Without waiting for some well-researched, detailed plan with action items and measurable goals, Catholics in Quebec must go out and share the Gospel, Pope Francis told the bishops of the province. Meeting the 29 bishops of Quebec May 11, Pope …
Bots, apps, trips: U.S. mission societies connect people in many ways
IMAGE: CNS By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Making connections — not just collections — drives the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies. That is why the United States’ office tapped into the rich digital-media milieu to offer a Facebook Messenger bot to connect with Pope Francis and a …
Pope: Spirit helps church see mortal sin in slavery, death penalty
By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Faith is a journey guided by the Holy Spirit, who helps the church grow in understanding the sinful nature of once-accepted practices like slavery and the death penalty, Pope Francis said. While people once even used religious reasons to justify practices such …
Pope says Fatima visit is pilgrimage of peace and hope
By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In a video message to the people of Portugal, Pope Francis said he would visit Fatima as a pilgrim of peace and to entrust the world to Mary’s immaculate heart. “I come to you in the joy of sharing with you the …
Catholics, Orthodox must work toward unity in diversity, pope says
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In a letter to Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, Pope Francis said he hoped that both their churches can continue along the path of true unity and communion. The bond between the Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church …
Mary teaches people to hope in life’s darkest moments, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Mary, like many mothers throughout the world, is an example of strength and courage in accepting new life and in sharing the suffering of their children, Pope Francis said. Although she had no idea of what awaited …
Bishops among first signatories to pledge to end death penalty
IMAGE: CNS/Tyler Orsburn By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — Bishops attending a meeting were among the first to sign the National Catholic Pledge to End the Death Penalty at the U.S. bishops’ headquarters building May 9. Each person taking the pledge promises to educate, advocate and pray for an end …